When I heard her scream my name today my stomach dropped. When I looked over and saw whoever that person was by the car, panic set in. I ran as fast as I could, praying that she wasn’t hurt. Looking into the car and seeing her huddled on the floor, I thought I was too late. I banged on the window screaming her name, begging her to open the door. Once I had her in my arms, I realized she was in shock. When I looked back at her in my arms holding onto me for dear life, I no longer saw Sam, it was Amy I was looking at. She was begging me to help her and it killed me that I felt so powerless once again. When Sam’s mother dismissed her situation and then tried to pull that shit in the room, I almost lost it. Whether she is a celebrity or not, she is still a fucking person.

Being close to her scares me. I can’t put myself in the position to lose someone again. I can’t be left with nothing but guilt and remorse. Losing Amy destroyed me. Knowing how I’m starting to feel about Sam and the fact that she is in danger, is bringing up shit I thought I buried years ago.

A knock at the door causes me to sit up straight. “Come in.”

Sam peeks her head in. “Hey, I have to head out to my show soon. Are you ready?”

“You sure you feel up to it?” I can’t believe she just didn’t cancel it.

“Yeah, plus I made a commitment and I can’t cancel it.” That comment no doubt came from her mother.

“Okay, as long as you’re sure. I’ll take you to grab some food before we head over there.” I stand up, putting my sneakers on and grabbing my wallet.

“I, uh, I actually ate already.” Her teeth grasp her bottom lip and her demeanor changes.

“When?” I know she hasn’t left the room.

“I got some room service. Now stop worrying, let’s go.” She lets out a nervous chuckle. As I follow her to the elevator, I think back to the events of the past few days. I don’t remember seeing her eat anything. I need to ask her about this.

Once we are safely in the car, I turn to her. “Why aren’t you eating? It’s not healthy.” I’m blunt and I can tell she is taken aback by it.

“What are you talking about, Hunter? I eat.” She looks away from me, another sign that she’s lying to me. I can’t do this shit.

“No you aren’t. You might be able to fool some people, but I see right through you.”

She turns back to me, anger evident in her face. “I said I’m eating. Now drop it, and just worry about doing your damn job.” She moves away and turns her back to me.

“What the fuck ever.” If she doesn’t give a shit, then neither do I. Yes I do. More than I want to.

We get to the stadium and the parking lot is already almost half full. Sam and I walk wordlessly to her dressing room and I stand outside as she gets ready. My body is tight with tension. I can’t stop stressing out and worrying about her. This is why I don’t get involved with chicks for more than a night. Emotions are fucking worthless. All they do is fuck you up and leave you a goddamn mess.

The door opens and I turn to see her. She is basically wearing fucking lingerie. Her legs are covered in fishnets stockings, with only what looks like a pair of black leather boy shorts. The only thing covering her tits is a black bra with rhinestones all over it. She squirms under my gaze, letting me know that I still affect her.

“I don’t know how it takes you so damn long to put on fucking underwear.”

Her eyes narrow at me. “It’s called a costume, dick.”

I laugh and lean down to whisper in her ear. “It’s called underwear because you’re supposed to wear it under real fucking clothes. Who’s gonna buy the cow when you flaunt the milk for everyone to see, cupcake?”

I pull back to see hurt flash across her face. Good. I need her to fucking hate me. If she does, then at least one of us will be making the smart decision to stay away. She opens her mouth to respond, but closes it. Sam pushes past me silently and I follow her. I know I hurt her. I took it too far. On the other hand, if I let this go any farther I’ll still hurt her, but it’ll probably be worse.

She stands at her spot under the stage as the music starts to play. Her eyes meet mine and I can feel the electricity that she emits flowing through me. She takes a deep breath before the floor starts to rise and the show begins.

I watch her, mesmerized by the way she moves. I know that I’m starting to have feelings for her and I hate it. Maybe I should just quit. I’ll make sure she gets a good replacement, not one of these untrained assholes. She is so electric when she is on stage, you can tell it’s a place where she feels at home. The true Sam shines through when she is up there and it’s fucking beautiful.

I start to notice a change. A missed step here, a stumble there. The song ends and she takes a long drink of water. I try to assess her to figure out what is going on but she turns and starts to move to the next track. Maybe I’m just over analyzing shit. She had a rough day, maybe she is just not on her game.

That’s when it happens. Everything stops as I see her fall. Her body crashes to the floor with a loud bang.

The crowd quiets.

The only sound is screaming.

It’s coming from me.

Chapter Eight

Samantha

Everything hurts.  I try to open my eyes but fail. There is an incessant beeping that sounds like it’s right next to my ear. Where am I? I try to remember what happened but everything is fuzzy. A pair of hands grab mine and I feel something wet falling against my skin.

“Please wake up.” The voice sounds distant but I can hear the pain behind it. “You can’t just leave like she did. I won’t let you down. I won’t make the same mistake. Just wake up.” It’s Hunter’s voice. “I saw the signs. I should have been more forceful.” The sadness in his voice gets to me.

I want to tell him I’m fine. I want to ask him what happened but I start to slip away. His voice fades and I can’t make out what he is saying anymore. I fight to stay awake but it’s useless.

***

“I don’t give a shit what you say. I’m not leaving this damn room until she wakes up.” I hear Hunter again. Anger is prominent in his voice.

“You are in no position—“

“I am telling you now lady, you can sit in here with me and shut the fuck up or you can leave. You serve no purpose here anyway. You would probably just make shit worse as usual.” His voice raises and I can’t figure out who he is talking to.

“She is my daughter, Mr. Stone.” It’s my mother. I can’t believe he is saying those things to her. Hunter is voicing everything I have wanted to for years.

“Then maybe you should treat her like your daughter instead of like your goddamn dog. She is a person. She matters, if not to you, she does to me.” I matter to him? Since when?

I hear their voices but once again I am starting to lose myself. I try even harder to stay alert this time. To wake up and find out what the hell is going on. The darkness starts to set in and I curse my inability to pull myself out of it.

***

Everything is quiet. I can feel something heavy on my stomach. I try to open my eyes and am finally successful but I shut them immediately from the harshness of the fluorescent lights. I try once more and blink a few times, shocked at my surroundings. I’m in the hospital. I look down and see an IV in my arm. What happened to me?

That’s when I see him. Hunter. His head is resting on my stomach, his eyes are closed. He’s sleeping. I remember hearing the things he said. He had been crying, yelling at my mother. I matter to him. I need to figure out what is going on, how I got here.

His eyes open and meet mine in shock. “Sam? You’re awake?” his voice is laced with exhaustion and relief at the same time. He jumps up, pressing one of the buttons next to me on the bed. “Are you okay? How do you feel? Do you need anything?” He is firing questions at me rapidly and I don’t have any time to respond to any of them before the nurse walks in.